2017 Hyundai i30 SR Premium Auto Review | Hyundai Threatens Rivals With Its Best Small Car Yet
The constant and steady improvement of each generation of Hyundai’s range is hardly surprising in a modern context, to the point where it’s almost easy to forget that the Korean brand first rose to the attention of Aussie buyers on the back of cut-price deals.
In 2017, the third generation i30 continues that steady upward trajectory. Improved interiors, better engines, refined handling - all the usual new-mode things you would safely expect in any new car - but now it’s the finer details and a touch of premiumness that should have rivals like Volkswagen and Mazda worried.
Vehicle Style: Small hatch
Price: $33,950 plus on-road costs
Engine/trans:150kW/265Nm 1.6-litre 4cyl turbo petrol | 7sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 7.5 l/100km | Tested: 7.4 l/100km
OVERVIEW
As the flagship of the i30 range the SR Premium blends together a plump list of comfort and convenience features with a gutsy turbocharged engine that gives the SR variants a performance leg-up compared to the rest of the range.
It’s not quite a hot hatch, but the i30 SR Premium can make a genuine claim to the growing ‘warm hatch’ sub class that seems to have emerged, providing sporty style and improved dynamics in a package that’s not so overbearingly focused that it becomes hard to live with.